There was a long and hard drought and a couple wild fires that tested the mettle of residents in Pope and Yell counties. New roads were built, as was the long-awaited Russellville Performing Arts Center. Plus, there were many other happenings that caught the attention of Courier readers in 2012.

Also, don’t forget to go to the sports pages to see the top sports stories and remember all the good times that our local teams and players brought to the River Valley!

Here are some of the stories and photos that were reported in the past 12 months by The Courier.

Wild, dangerous fire in Atkins

ATKINS — A wildfire north of Atkins spread furiously fast this summer, burned more than 500 acres and forced the evacuation of several residents — but none of the 144 structures threatened was lost, and no one was injured.

Efforts to battle the fire were complicated when pipes supplying water to the area went dry, causing fire departments and private businesses that came to help to bring in tanker truck loads of water to battle the fire with.

Fire crews from several rural fire departments, along with the Arkansas Forestry Commission (AFC) and the U.S. Forest Service, battled the wildfire which began at approximately 1 p.m. north of Atkins and continued to burn through the evening.

The fire began near Murdoch Road and spread east, causing several structures along Hartwick Lane, Saint Joe Road, Crites Road, Buttermilk Road and Murdoch to be evacuated.

Pope County 911 estimated 144 structures, including homes and barns were evacuated and listed firefighters and personnel from Atkins, Appleton, Pea Ridge, Hatley, Moreland, Crow Mountain, the U.S. National Forest Service (USFS) and Arkansas Forestry Commission (AFC) as on the scene providing assistance.

Pope County Sheriff Aaron DuVall said no structures were damaged by the fire, but the biggest concern of many residents in the area was that of their livestock.

Richard Setian, the public information officer for the Russellville Fire Department, said the Russellville Fire Department aided single engine air tankers (SEAT) at the Russellville Regional Airport. As ground crews worked to gain control and contain the fire, aerial assistance was provided from several SEATs.

Sheila Doughty, FireWise information officer for the AFC, said three AFC crews were joined by the USFS and Deltic Timber to fight the wildfire, estimated to have burned more than 300 acres Tuesday night.

At one point, the fire jumped a fire line and tankers from the private sector were provided to transport water after the water supply in the area was depleted. Firefighters and law officials convened on Saint Joe Road, where tankers filtered in and out carrying loads of water to be distributed to different trucks battling the spreading fire.

Residents of Saint Joe Road, Hartwick Lane and Murdoch Road were allowed to return to their homes around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Doughty said fired crossed several oil pads, but no damage was done to homes or barns.

Areas were set up at Happy Valley Assembly of God and the Atkins First Baptist Church, where refuged victims of the fire and fire fighters could go to cool off.

“We’ve been real lucky. I mean, real lucky,” Gibson said. We’ve had a lot of firefighters out here, and as dry as it is we’re just lucky that we’ve been able to contain it as well as we have. We’ve had a lot of good help.”

Ola wildfire forces evacuation

A wildfire near Ola that forced the evacuation of the town’s 1,300 residents burned about 1,100 acres, officials with the Arkansas Forestry Commission confirmed Thursday, although the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

The fire, which was considered 100 percent contained in the early morning hours Thursday, started at approximately 11 a.m. Wednesday while contractors working with the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) were bush-hogging a state right-of-way on State Highway 7, according to Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey. However, AHTD officials said Thursday the contractor noticed the fire about 400 yards behind him and proceeded to try to extinguish it.

“We did have a contractor who was mowing in the area, and it’s my understanding it’s that contractor who first detected that fire,” AHTD spokesman Randy Ort said. “We have no idea if that contractor doing the mowing started the fire.”

Ort added the contractor didn’t have cell phone service and was thus unable to call for emergency assistance. Ort said it was his understanding a person who stopped to help the contractor called emergency officials and stated the mower started the fire.

Due to an alarmingly-high amount of smoke filtering into Ola and its surrounding areas, nearby residents were heavily advised they should evacuate. The American Red Cross set up an emergency shelter at the Two Rivers High School.The fire was estimated to have claimed approximately 110 acres and was considered about 50 percent contained by about 4 p.m. Wednesday, but a shift of heavy winds spread the fire and created a dire situation for firefighters and the surrounding area’s residents.

“The wind has not been our friend today,” Gilkey said Wednesday. The fire continued spreading northeast, and by 6:30 p.m. the city of Danville was put on standby as a potential evacuation point.

AFC responders, U.S. Forestry Service crews and firefighters from a multi-county radius battled the fire into the night, having it 100 percent contained by about 3:30 a.m. Residents were advised it was safe to return home by about 4, but told they should be aware of the possibilities of the fire again spreading.

Two structures — a barn and an unoccupied trailer — were confirmed damaged from the fire. Gilkey said with the fire as large as it was, it was likely wildlife suffered Wednesday.

“Obviously there was a large amount of wildlife that was threatened and there were some livestock threatened as well,” said Gilkey, who added that livestock farmers were allowed access to their property to move their cattle. “There was definitely some risk of wildlife loss.”

By Thursday afternoon, outside emergency agencies were relieved of their duties at the fire as AFC dozers continued maintaining the fire line.

“We’re still going to be monitoring the situation, but right now we feel good about it being safe,” Gilkey said.

However, with a thunderstorm blowing its way into the region late Thursday afternoon, Gilkey voiced concerns of winds and lightning sparking yet another wildfire outbreak.

“We feel confident at this time that we’re in good shape,” he said. “We’re just going to have to monitor the storm that’s possibly going to be passing through the area and adjust accordingly if we need to.”

While AFC estimated the damage at 1,100 acres, Gilkey estimated closer to 1,400 and said he wouldn’t be surprised if more was burned.

Gov. Mike Beebe visited Ola on Thursday to survey the damage from the fire.

Gilkey said property damage estimates may not be available until early next week.

Gilkey commended the efforts of all those who donated their time and effort to the fire, including all the emergency agencies that traveled from surrounding counties to help contain the fire.

“Our hats go off to the firemen and the volunteers we had yesterday,” Gilkey said, speaking on behalf of himself and the county as a whole. “The firemen and all the other emergency workers did an incredible job and we had a lot of volunteers.

“All in all, it was a great community effort and everybody did a fantastic job, and although we did have a lot of acreage damaged, we didn’t have anybody injured and that’s a big plus. It just goes along with what a great job everyone did yesterday, and we just thank them from the bottom of our hearts.”

The Center for the Arts, Russellville High School’s performing arts center, hosted its first event this past spring when school bands from across the state assembled for Region IX Concert Assessment.

The journey from the facility’s planning to completion took three years, sparked a couple of lawsuits and aroused some questions about why it took so long to open from the taxpaying community along the way.

The performing arts center, along with other school district construction projects, was funded by a 6.9-mill property tax increase approved in 2007, with an expected completion date of August 2010. Delays have twice changed that date, and the building is now complete, save carpeting for steps and a Certificate of Load Requirements on guardrails in the balcony area.

It is certainly the newest and most modern facility of its type in the Arkansas River Valley. An auditorium is expected to seat about 1,900 people and is planned to host traveling Broadway shows, dance recitals, community events, summer musicals and of course, band and choir concerts. Organizers are in contact with the Arkansas Ballet, symphony guild, Arkansas River Valley Arts Center and other organizations in reference to its use.

The glass-surrounded lobby will be home to art shows, according to Wendy Sparks, operations manager.

Originally, the guaranteed maximum price was around $28.1 million. Several change orders and a redesign of part of the facility may change that price. Williams said there is “some leeway in the budget. We haven’t closed business out with the contractor.”

In addition to the auditorium, the facility features an orchestra pit, professional dressing rooms, sewing room and state-of-the-art technical lighting and sound facilities. Earlier articles in The Courier quoted Russellville High School Band Director Dwayne Dove: “The best part of having a performing arts center is it would give patrons of the Russellville School District an opportunity to see and hear the Russellville band and choir at their best.”